Matthew’s Missionary Discourse: A Literary Critical Analysis 9781474266536, 9781474231435, 9781441133762

Table of contents :
Cover
Editorial Board
Title
Copyright
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Chapter 1 INTERPRETIVE APPROACHES TO MATTHEW 9.35-11.1: FROM HISTORICAL CRITICISM TO LITERARY CRITICISM
Chapter 2 ANALYSIS OF MATTHEW 1.1-9.34: THE IMPLIED READER'S 'PRE-INFORMATION'
Chapter 3 LITERARY CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF MATTHEW 9.35-11.1
Chapter 4 ANALYSIS OF MATTHEW 11.2-28.20: 'TO SEE THE END'
Notes
Bibliography
Index of Biblical References
Index of Authors

Citation preview

library of new testament studies

Matthew’s Missionary Discourse A Literary Critical Analysis

Dorothy Jean Weaver

JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT SUPPLEMENT SERIES

38

Executive Editor, Supplement Series David Hill

Publishing Editor David E Orton

JSOT Press Sheffield

MATTHEW'S MISSIONARY DISCOURSE A Literary Critical Analysis

Dorothy Jean Weaver

Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series 38

Copyright © 1990 Sheffield Academic Press Published by JSOT Press JSOT Press is an imprint of Sheffield Academic Press Ltd The University of Sheffield 343 Fulwood Road Sheffield S10 3BP England Typeset by Sheffield Academic Press

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Weaver, Dorothy Jean Matthew's missionary discourse. 1. Bible. N.T. Matthew—Critical studies I. Title II. Series 226.206

EISBN 9781850752325

CONTENTS Acknowledgments Abbreviations

7 9

Chapter 1 INTERPRETIVE APPROACHES TO MATTHEW 9.35-11.1: FROM HISTORICAL CRITICISM TO LITERARY CRITICISM Introduction Three Major Historical Critical Approaches to 9.35-11.1 A Literary Critical Approach to 9.35-11.1

13 13 17 24

Chapter 2 ANALYSIS OF MATTHEW 1.1-9.34: THE IMPLIED READER'S 'PRE-INFORMATION' The Role of the Narrator The Basic Elements of the Narrator's Story

31 31 57

Chapter 3 LITERARY CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF MATTHEW 9.35-11.1 71 Overview of the Text 71 Structure of the Text 73 Analysis of the Text 74 The narrative introduction: 9.35-10.5a 74 The discourse: 10.5b-15 83 The discourse: 10.16-23 90 The discourse: 10.24-42 102 The narrative conclusion: 11.1 124

Chapter 4 ANALYSIS OF MATTHEW 11.2-28.20: 'TO SEE THE END' 127 Perspective of the Implied Reader at 11.2 127 Jesus Continues His Ministry: 11.2-16.20 129 The Tension Mounts: 16.21-25.46 135 The Denouement: 26.1-28.20 143 Perspective of the Implied and Real Readers at 28.20 152 Notes Bibliography Index of Biblical References Index of Authors

155 223 233 247

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It is with deep gratitude and very great pleasure that I wish to acknowledge those many persons without whom this project would never have come to completion: Dr Jack Dean Kingsbury, my advisor, who has opened up to me the world of Matthew's Gospel and passed on to me a deep love for the same; who has given assistance and counsel at every step of the way in my study of Matthew's Missionary Discourse and devoted countless hours to reading and responding to my document as it took shape; who has showed me by example the meaning of excellence and continually challenged me towards that same excellence; whose persistent and patient efforts have nurtured this project from 'idea' into 'reality'. Dr Ulrich Luz, Professor of New Testament at the University of Berne, Switzerland, who graciously 'adopted' me as a doctoral student during the year which I spent at the University of Berne and gave me generously of his time for discussions of Matthean theology. Drs Paul J. Achtemeier and Matthias Rissi, who have assisted me in the completion of my program by reading my exams and my dissertations. Martha Aycock, Reference Librarian, who has given invaluable assistance with the numerous details involved in formatting a dissertation. Cecelia Clark, Assistant Reference Librarian, whose technical assistance has supplied me with numerous items in my bibliography; who because of her daily presence in the UTS library has 'been there' at those times when I most needed someone; whose generous friendship and constant moral support have replenished my courage all along the way. Dr Esther K. Lehman, my aunt, who has patiently read my entire document with pencil in hand and spent long hours and late nights

8

Matthew's Missionary Discourse

'haggling' with me over words, phrases, and punctuation in an effort to improve the dissertation stylistically. Myra K. Lehman, my grandmother, whose prayers have supported me through every day of the past ten years and whose frequent reminders of this fact have been a constant source of encouragement to me. Miriam L. Weaver, my mother, who has 'hung in there' with me through all the joys and the agonies of my doctoral career; who throughout the past ten years has unceasingly 'supported the cause' in ways large and small, tangible and intangible; who knows perhaps better than any other person what this achievement represents to me. Those many others—family members, friends, teaching colleagues, students—who have inquired frequently, listened patiently, cared deeply, encouraged persistently, supported creatively, believed in me always. DJW May, 1989

ABBREVIATIONS AB AssSeign BAG

BBB BDF

BZNW BasMiss BeiEvTh Bib BibLeb BibRes Biblebh CBNTS CBQ CBQMS CNT CThM Dia EtBib ETL ExpTim FB FoiVie GBSNT

Anchor Bible Assemblies du Seigneur Bauer, Walter; Arndt, William F.; Gingrich, F. Wilbur. A Greek-English Lexicon of the NT and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957) Bonner biblische Beitrage Blass, F.; Debrunner, A.; Funk, Robert W. A Greek Grammar of the NT and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961) Beiheft zur Zeitschrift fur die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der alteren Kirche Basler Missionsstudien Beitrage zur evangelischen Theologie Biblica Bibel und Leben Biblical Research Biblebashyam: An Indian Biblical Quarterly Coniectanea Biblica, New Testament Series Catholic Biblical Quarterly Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series Commentaire du nouveau testament Calwer theologische Monographien Diakonia Etudes bibliques Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses Expository Times Forschung zur Bibel Foi et vie Guides to Biblical Scholarship, New Testament Series

10 GrOrthTR HNT HNTC ICC IDB IntRMiss Interp JAAR JBL JETS JLSM JRel JSNT JSNTSup JTS JTSA KKNT LXX LingBib MNTC MissFor NCB NEB NIV NLH NTL NTM NTS Neo NovT OrbBibOr RSV RThPh RechBib RefTR SBLDS

Matthew's Missionary Discourse Greek Orthodox Theological Review Handbuch zum Neuen Testament Harper's New Testament Commentaries International Critical Commentary Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (ed. George Arthur Buttrick; Nashville: Abingdon Press, 19621976, 5 vols.) International Review of Mission Interpretation Journal of the American Academy of Religion Journal of Biblical Literature Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society Janua Linguarum, Series Maior Journal of Religion Journal for the Study of the New Testament Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series Journal of Theological Studies Journal of Theology for Southern Africa Kritisch-exegetischer Kommentar iiber das Neue Testament Septuagint Linguistica Biblica MofFatt New Testament Commentary Missionswissenschaftliche Forschungen New Century Bible New English Bible Holy Bible, New International Version New Literary History New Testament Library New Testament Message: A Biblical Theological Commentary New Testament Studies Neotestamentica Novum Testamentum Orbis biblicus et orientalis Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version Revue de theologie et de philosophie Recherches bibliques Reformed Theological Review Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series

Abbreviations SBLSP SBLSemSt SBLSemSup SBT SJT SNTSMS SciEsp Scrip Sent Spir StANT StBibSt StTh TD TDNT

TEV ThBei

ThHKNT TS TynBul ZMiss ZNW ZTK

11

Society of Biblical Literature Seminar Paper Series Society of Biblical Literature Semeia Studies Society of Biblical Literature Semeia Supplements Studies in Biblical Theology Scottish Journal of Theology Society for New Testament Study Monograph Series Science et esprit: revue de philosophic et de theologie Scripture Semeia Spiritus Studien zum Alten und Neuen Testament Stuttgarter Bibel-Studien Studia Theologica Theology Digest Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (ed. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley; Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1964-1976, 10 vols.) Good News Bible: The Bible in Today's English Version Theologische Beitrdge

Theologischer Handkommentar zum Neuen Testament Theological Studies Tyndale Bulletin Zeitschrift fur Mission Zeitschrift fur die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der dlteren Kirche Zeitschrift fur Theologie und Kirche

All biblical citations are my translations unless otherwise indicated.

Chapter 1 INTERPRETIVE APPROACHES TO MATTHEW 9.35-11.1: FROM HISTORICAL CRITICISM TO LITERARY CRITICISM I. Introduction: Description of the Problem From the standpoint of historical critical studies Mt. 9.35-11.1, the so-called 'Missionary Discourse'1 of Matthew's2 Gospel, has long proved problematic to scholars. This passage consists of a discourse of Jesus (10.5b-42) enclosed within a narrative framework (9.3510.5a and 11.1) which designates the occasion of its delivery. But a closer look at the actual contents of the discourse reveals that certain elements within it do not appear congruent with the setting designated by the narrative framework. A brief comparison of the contents of the discourse with the designated setting will make clear the exact nature of the problem.3 Matthew establishes the setting for the discourse of 10.5b-42 in two ways. He designates the general setting by the position which he gives to the discourse and its narrative framework within his overall account of the life of Jesus. The position of 9.35-11.1 points to a setting within Galilee, where Jesus began his public ministry (4.18, 23) and to which he has just returned following a trip to the other side of the lake to the country of the Gadarenes (8.18, 23, 28; 9.1). Matthew specifies the more immediate setting for the discourse in the narrative introduction (9.35-10.5a) and the narrative conclusion (11.1). In the narrative introduction he describes the specific events which lead up to the delivery of the discourse: Jesus' own mission tour through the cities and villages (9.35), his compassion for the crowds whom he encounters (9.36), his plea that the disciples pray for workers to be sent out into the 'great harvest' (9.37-38), and his empowering of these same disciples with his own authority to cast out unclean spirits and to heal the sick (10.1; cf. 9.35). Finally, Matthew lists the names ofJesus' twelve 'apostles' {apostolon\ whose designation as 'sent out ones' functions to foreshadow the climactic

14

Matthew's Missionary Discourse

announcement of 10.5a: 'These twelve Jesus sent out (apesteilen)...' Matthew has thus identified the setting as a specific occasion during the Galilean ministry of Jesus on which he sends out his twelve disciples on a mission of their own. Following the discourse of 10.5b-42 Matthew then restates in his narrative conclusion (11.1) the basic elements of the previously established setting. In language strongly reminiscent of 9.35 he gives notice that 'when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and to proclaim in their cities'.4 Thus the two halves of the narrative framework (9.35-10.5a and 11.1) together present a unified picture of the occasion on which Jesus delivers the discourse of 10.5b-42. The discourse itself is a three part speech5 in which Jesus instructs his twelve disciples concerning the mission on which he is sending them. The first section (10.5b-15) lays out the specifics of the disciples' mission in terms which appear fully congruent with the setting designated in the narrative introduction (9.35-10.5a). The section opens in 10.5b-6 with the command: 'Do not go out among the Gentiles and do not enter any city of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel'. The mission on which Jesus is sending his twelve disciples is thus defined as a mission to Israel (i.e., the Jewish nation)6 at the specific exclusion of both the Gentiles and the Samaritans. The following verses (10.7-14) clarify in detail how this mission to the Jews is to be carried out: the disciples are instructed concerning their proclamation (10.7), their healing ministry (10.8), their means of support for the mission (10.9-10), their strategy for finding lodging along the way (10.11-13), and the steps to be taken in case of rejection in any given town (10.14). Finally, 10.15 concludes this section of the discourse with a solemn warning of what those who reject the disciples and their message can expect on the 'day of judgment'. Nowhere in these verses are there elements out of keeping with the idea of a mission by the twelve disciples during the time of Jesus' own Galilean ministry. The second section (10.16-23), however, presents a more complicated picture. Here different portions of the text offer conflicting evidence concerning the relationship of this section to the setting established in the narrative framework and reinforced in 10.5b-15. In certain respects 10.16-23 appears to agree with its setting. Verse 16a introduces the section with a repetition of the 'sending' motif of 10.2 and 10.5a, this time as a first-person declaration by Jesus:

1. Interpretive Approaches to Matthew 9.35-11.1

15

'Behold, I send you out (apostello) as sheep in the midst of wolves'. This opening line thus performs the same function as the opening line of the previous section (10.5b-6), namely, that of linking the verses which follow to the act of'sending' described in 10.5a. Further, the theme of 10.16-23 can be viewed as a logical—if somewhat startling7—followup to the theme of 10.5b-15. If 10.5b-15 defines the disciples' mission in terms of the task to be accomplished, 10.16-23 defines that mission in terms of the persecution which the disciples will be certain to face as a result.8 And even the language used to describe this persecution points back to the mission defined in 10.5b-15: in 10.17b Jesus warns that the disciples will be handed over 'to the [Jewish] councils'9 and flogged 'in their [i.e., the Jewish] synagogues', a warning fully in keeping with the Jewishness of the designated setting. In other respects, however, 10.16-23 appears not to agree with its setting. Following the warning of 10.17b there comes an additional and unexpected prediction (10.18): 'And you will be led before governors and kings on my account, as a witness to them and to the Gentiles'. In the present setting this reference to 'governors', 'kings', and 'the Gentiles' seems out of place. The prediction that the disciples will be led before an indeterminate number of 'governors and kings' points to a mission apparently broader in scope than the present one, which prohibits the disciples from 'going out among the Gentiles' and from 'entering any city of the Samaritans' (10.5b). The further indication that the disciples will bear witness to 'the Gentiles' stands in direct conflict with the absolute prohibition (10.6) against going to any but 'the lost sheep of the house of Israel'. Thus the prediction of 10.18 effectively bursts the geographical boundaries of the mission initiated in 10.5a and described in 10.5b-15. And if the prediction of 10.18 is problematic geographically, there are other predictions in this section which are problematic from the standpoint of time. Following a further warning of persecution and hatred for the disciples (10.21-22a), 10.22b offers the promise that salvation awaits the one who perseveres 'to the end' (eis telos\ an apparent reference to 'the end of the age'.10 And following a command to the disciples to flee from one city to the next when they are persecuted (10.23a), Jesus provides the reason for this action (10.23b): 'For truly, I say to you, you will not have completed the cities of Israel before the Son of man comes'.11 Thus 10.22b and 10.23b support each other in bursting the time boundaries of the

16

Matthew's Missionary Discourse

mission previously described: a mission which extends 'until the end of the age' and will not reach its completion 'before the Son of man comes' does not coincide chronologically with a mission which occurs within the framework of Jesus' Galilean ministry.12 In spite of the introduction and the theme of this section, therefore, 10.16-23 does not fit readily into its designated setting. Rather, it seems to depict a mission with considerably broader horizons. The final section, 10.24-42, paints a similar picture. This section combines the 'mission' theme of 10.5b-15 and the 'persecution' theme of 10.16-23 by calling for 'fearless confession' of Jesus in the face of life-threatening persecution. In doing so, however, it omits any concrete references to the 'sending' act described in 10.5a. Instead of opening with the command to 'go' (10.6) or with the declaration 'I send you' (10.16), this section opens with a generalized definition of the relationship between the 'disciple' and the 'teacher', the 'slave' and the 'master' (10.24-25a). Further, while the form of address continues to be that of the second person plural in certain passages (10.26-31, 34, 40), the referents of 10.32-42 are for the most part designated in the third person and in general terms: 'everyone who . . . ' (pas hostis + finite verb),13 'whoever . . . ' (hos/hostis . . . [an] + finite verb),14 and 'the one who . . . ' (ho + present/aorist participle).15 Finally, there is no further mention of the original geographical setting (10.6; cf. 10.23), the original time frame (10.5a), or the original recipients of the mission (10.5b-6). As a result, there are no elements in 10.24-42 which specifically link this section to the clearly delineated mission of 10.5a, 5b-15. Rather, the overall generality of this section seems to point toward the broader mission hinted at in 10.16-23. In light of the above evidence it is clear that 9.35-11.1 presents some difficult questions for its interpreters. Does 10.5b-42 represent a unified discourse which can be interpreted solely in terms of the setting provided by its narrative framework, 9.35-10.5a and 11.1? Or does 10.5b-42 in fact require the assumption of two settings, only one of which is the setting provided by the narrative framework? And if this is so, what then is the second setting?

1. Interpretive Approaches to Matthew 9.35-11.1

17

II. Three Major Historical Critical Approaches to 9.35-11.1: Presentation and Critique Three major approaches have been taken to the resolution of these questions. But while they differ significantly from each other, these three approaches nevertheless share a basic historical orientation. In each case an attempt is made to interpret 10.5b-42 in terms of an actual historical setting or sequence of settings, i.e., in terms of the life of Jesus and/or of the Matthean church. The 'Galilean9 approach The first approach assumes for the entire discourse a setting within the Galilean ministry of Jesus. H.A.W. Meyer, for example, resolves the apparent contradiction between 10.5b-6 and 10.18 by referring the 'witness' of 10.18 not only to the 'governors' (hegemonas) and 'kings' (basileis) of the same verse but also to the Jews who are the implicit subjects of the previous verse.16 Accordingly, the disciples' witness 'to them and to the Gentiles' no longer refers to the 'governors and kings' of 10.18 on the one hand and to unspecified 'Gentiles' on the other. Instead, the witness 'to them' is now a witness to the Jews of 10.17, while the witness 'to the Gentiles' is a witness to 'the hegemonas and basileis and their Gentile environment'.17 Meyer's tacit assumption appears to be that if he can establish the identity of the 'Gentiles' of 10.18 with the 'governors and kings' of the same verse, then there will no longer be a contradiction in terms between 10.5b-6 and 10.18. Rather, the reference to 'Gentiles' will then be primarily a reference to the secular officials in Palestine before whom Jesus' disciples will be led as a result of their mission work within Israel.18 J. Lange takes this argumentation one step further by making concrete what Meyer leaves unspecified, namely, the specific identity of these 'governors and kings'.19 Judging on the basis of Matthean usage, Lange argues that hegemon is for Matthew none other than a reference to Pilate (cf. 27.2,11,14,15,21,27; 28.14) and that basileus refers to such figures as Herod the Great (cf. 2.1, 3,9), Archelaus (cf. 2.22), and Herod Antipas (cf. 14.9). He therefore concludes that just as Jesus was vulnerable to 'kings' (2.13,22; 14.13), 'Gentiles' (20.19), and 'governors' (27.11) on Palestinian soil, so also Jesus' disciples can be brought before 'governors' and 'kings' even while they are still in Israel.20

18

Matthew's Missionary Discourse

Meyer and Lange, accordingly, interpret 10.5b-42 in terms of a single setting within the Galilean ministry ofJesus. And they arrive at their conclusion by arguing that 10.18 is a prediction which found its fulfilment in a one-time mission to Israel by the twelve disciples of

Jesus.

But the most well-known attempt to explain 10.5b-42 in terms of a setting within the ministry of Jesus argues in opposite fashion to Meyer and Lange. A. Schweitzer, in his polemic for the eschatological interpretation of 10.23b ('For truly, I say to you, you will not have completed the cities of Israel before the Son of man comes'),21 starts with the same assumptions as the above scholars: (1) Jesus delivered this entire discourse on a single historical occasion; and (2) this discourse pertained to an immediate mission which was then carried out by Jesus' twelve disciples. But while the above scholars assume the reliability of Jesus' prediction that the disciples will meet with persecution on this mission, Schweitzer argues on the basis of 10.23b that Jesus' predictions in this chapter are mistaken predictions and thus not reliable. Since the Son of man has not 'come'—as Jesus has predicted in 10.23b that he would - by the time the disciples have returned from their mission,22 it follows that Jesus was mistaken in this prediction as well as in the prediction of the sufferings to befall the disciples.23 Schweitzer thus argues that 10.18 (along with all the other verses which relate to the sufferings of the disciples) represents a prediction which was not fulfilled?4 This line of argument ultimately leads Schweitzer to the conclusion that the discourse is 'historical as a whole and down to the smallest detail precisely because, according to the view of modern theology, it must be judged unhistorical'.25 Thus scholars use opposing lines of argument to support the conclusion that 10.5b-42 is to be interpreted in terms of a single setting within the Galilean ministry ofJesus. But the fact that Meyer can fit the discourse into that setting only by taking unwarranted liberties with the exegesis of 10.17-1826 and the fact that Schweitzer can do the same only by classifying Jesus' predictions as mistaken point to the basic problem which the majority of scholars find with this approach: not all elements within 10.5b-42 fit readily with the assumption of a setting within the Galilean ministry ofJesus. In his Introduction to the New Testament T. Zahn reflects the basic thrust of scholarly consensus on this point:

1. Interpretive Approaches to Matthew 9,35-11.1

19

The connected and well-arranged discourse of chap, x., which is associated with a definite occasion, could not have been spoken on the occasion then indicated. While the idou apostello (not apostelo) (x. 16) cannot be referred to any other sending out of the apostles than that which is narrated in x. 5, every intelligent reader [sicl] says to himself that on this preaching tour the apostles could not possibly have been in a position where they would be brought before kings and rulers, and where they would flee from city to city in expectation of Jesus' return (x. 16-23).27 But while there is general scholarly consensus on the problem of interpreting 10.5b-42 in terms of a setting within the Galilean ministry of Jesus, there is no such consensus on how to resolve the difficulties inherent in this approach. Here two basic schools of thought prevail.

The 'dual9 approach By far the most widely accepted approach to the interpretation of 10.5b-42 is one which views this discourse not in terms of a single setting but rather in terms of two separate, sequential settings. According to this approach, Matthew's designated setting (i.e., the Galilean ministry of Jesus) applies only to 10.5b-15, while the remainder of the discourse describes a mission which is to take place at a later time and in a broader setting. But this approach raises several questions. Who is responsible for the divided focus within what is ostensibly a single, unified discourse (cf. 10.5a and 11.1)? Further, if this discourse requires the assumption of two separate settings, only the first of which is the Galilean ministry of Jesus, then what is the second setting? Here two pictures emerge. There are scholars who attribute the divided focus of this discourse to Jesus, concluding that he is addressing on one and the same occasion two different situations, one of them immediate and the other long range. As R.C.H. Lenski explains it, Matthew . . . records the complete charge as given by Jesus when the Twelve werefirstsent out. He is telling us, not like Mark and Luke, only of the mission to Galilee during the next days or weeks, but of the complete apostolic mission of the Twelve, into Galilee now, and then at last into all the world.28 According to this view, therefore, there are two major shifts from the first to the second half of the discourse, the one with reference to

20

Matthew's Missionary Discourse

time frame and the other with reference to geographical boundaries. Thus in delivering the discourse of 10.5b-42 Jesus first describes the forthcoming Galilean mission of his twelve disciples (10.5b-15) and then shifts to a description of the ongoing worldwide mission which they are later to carry out.29 But the more prevalent view is one which attributes the divided focus of 10.5b-42 not to Jesus—who on one occasion is found to be addressing two different situations—but rather to Matthew—who has brought together a collection of sayings of Jesus which were originally spoken on different occasions and in regard to different situations.30 Zahn once again reflects a widespread scholarly consensus when he concludes that 'Matthew connected the commission which Jesus gave His disciples when He sent them out for the first time with other sayings relative to their later work, weaving the whole into an ordered discourse* (italics mine).31 Here, however, opinions vary as to the identity of the referents of the second half of the discourse. There are those who, like Zahn, hold that the entire discourse still refers to Jesus' twelve disciples. F.C. Grant, for example, who interprets both 10.1832 and 10.2333 in terms of post-Easter Palestine, comments that 10.23 serves to '[direct] the XII what to do in case the message met with hostility (vv. 14ff.)'.34 Others, however, pointedly distinguish between the referents of the two halves of the discourse: while in their view the first half refers to Jesus' twelve disciples, the second half refers instead to 'the Church' in general.35 As Giinther Bornkamm puts it, 'this last part of the missionary discourse [10.17-39] is no longer missionary instruction in the proper sense, but it gives directions to the Church as a whole and indicates what the disciples ofJesus as a whole must expect and endure'.36 This distinction between the twelve disciples and 'the Church' represents a third major shift from the first to the second half of the discourse. In his analysis of 10.16-39, B.W. Bacon then notes one further shift within the discourse. In addition to the shifts in time frame, geographical boundaries, and referents, there is also a shift in the intention of the text37 from the reporting of history to preaching. In Bacon's words, The framer of this expanded form of the Markan Discourse (Rmt) has obviously lost sight of the situation with which he began (another indication of Mk's priority). The scenes are no longer those of hospitable Galilee, where a kindly reception could be anticipated and, according to Lk 22.35, was actually experienced.

1. Interpretive Approaches to Matthew 9.35-1 LI

21

Galilee and the mission to heal and proclaim the coming kingdom has faded out of the picture. In its place has come the world-wide spersecution of the apostolic and post-apostolic age. The compiler has ceased to be a historian^ he is now a preacher addressing his own age under color of prediction by Jesus (italics mine).38

According to the proponents of the 'dual' approach these four major shifts issue in a fundamentally divided discourse: the first half of the discourse refers back to a specific event during the lifetime of Jesus and his twelve disciples, while the second half refers to the situation of Matthew's own church. But there are several problems with this approach. First of all, Matthew does not in any way announce his intention to shift from one setting to another. Instead, the reader is left to draw the necessary conclusions from the abrupt intrusion into the text of details or entire statements which appear irreconcilable with what has gone before. F. Filson finds, for example, that 'most of [10.17-22] does not fit a swift preaching tour in Galilee',39 while M. Hooker comments conversely (p. 361) that 'much of this section [10.17-22] seems more appropriate to a later period than to a mission set in the course of Jesus' own lifetime'40 (italics in both cases mine). Even Bacon, who appears to emphasize the intentionality of Matthew's shift from one situation to another,41 nevertheless indicates that Matthew has 'obviously lost sight of the situation with which he began'42 (italics mine). Thus not only is the reader left to draw the necessary inferences from the text concerning the shift from one situation to another; but it also appears that not even the author responsible for this shift is consciously aware of what has taken place in his text. Even more problematic for this approach is the fact that Matthew clearly presents 10.5b-42 as a unified discourse. The very fact that Matthew here brings together a collection of originally unconnected sayings of Jesus43 and places them within a well-defined and unified framework (9.35-10.5a and 11.1) points to the conclusion that Matthew's purpose here is to create a unity where none had previously existed. Thus while the 'dual' approach responds to the difficulties inherent in the 'Galilean' approach,44 it nevertheless creates some difficulties of its own which call for resolution. Accordingly, the third major approach to the interpretation of 10.5b-42 attempts to resolve the difficulties inherent in both of the previous approaches, while at the same time retaining their respective strengths.

22

Matthew's Missionary Discourse

The